Mourinho's next move
Posted by Gringo Maclure in Brazil, Chelsea, Portugal, World Cup | 24 September 2007
So, the Special One has moved on. In his place, Avram Grant, a man who, to my mind, could, in terms of physical appearance, pass for an older, tubbier, balder version of his predecessor. It's as if Chelsea had Diana and now they have Camilla. It remains to be seen how Grant can fill Mourinho's shoes, or even how long he will be given the chance to do so. As for Jose, what lies next?
I live in Brazil where the news coming out of Stamford Bridge was watched with eagle-eyed interest by football fans here. The word on the street: Mourinho is to be given the Portuguese National team. The current manager is Scolari whose credibility took a dip when he was involved in pitch side skirmishes with Serbia's Dragutinovic following the last round of European Championship Qualifiers. The flamboyant Brazilian faces a four match ban and could be out of the door and on a plane back to his home country, if the rumours are to be believed.
Meanwhile, despite winning the Copa America with a side lacking Kaka and Ronaldinho and despite wins in their recent friendly matches, Dunga's position as Brazilian manager is under threat. His team have received criticism for playing without "soul" or "flare", a high insult in Brazil. And, some question his lack of managerial experience. Scolari, who can do no wrong after leading Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002, would be welcomed back at least by a sizeable chunk of the press and fans. Felipao, as they call him, would be seen as just the man to take the famous yellow shirts to success in South Africa.
Mourinho, for his part, has ruled himself out of the Portugal job. He insists he is "very, very clear" about this. And he has hinted he would like to learn a new language (he already speaks Spanish and French) and enter management in Europe, not the UK. And, as we know, his departure from Chelsea was declared "mutual" between the club and himself. But, Brazilians point out that all of the above is to be expected. They pay no credence to official statements or the best intentioned public pronouncements of managers. They sniff a bigger story. Whatever the outcome, the tremors of Mourinho's shock departure from Chelsea last week are being felt across the footballing world.
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